Ads
related to: can thyroid cause double vision
Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Graves' ophthalmopathy, also known as thyroid eye disease (TED), is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder of the orbit and periorbital tissues, characterized by upper eyelid retraction, lid lag, swelling, redness (), conjunctivitis, and bulging eyes (exophthalmos). [1]
It results in the following signs, which can be extremely distressing to the patient: [4] Most frequent are symptoms due to conjunctival or corneal irritation: burning, photophobia, tearing, pain, and a gritty or sandy sensation. [4] Protruding eyeballs (known as proptosis and exophthalmos). Diplopia (double vision) is common. [4]
The provider may prescribe an eye patch to relieve the double vision. The patch can be removed after the nerve heals. Surgery or special glasses (prisms) may be advised if there is no recovery in 6 to 12 months. If diplopia turns out to be intractable, it can be managed as last resort by obscuring part of the patient's field of view.
Double vision can be corrected with prism glasses and surgery (the latter only when the process has been stable for a while). Difficulty closing eyes can be treated with lubricant gel at night, or with tape on the eyes to enable full, deep sleep. Orbital decompression can be performed to enable bulging eyes to retreat back into the head.
Infiltrative ophthalmopathy is found in 5-10% of patients with Graves disease and resembles exophthalmos, except that the blurry or double vision is acquired because of weakness in the ocular muscles of the eye. [1] [2] In addition, there is no known correlation with the patient's thyroid levels.
There are many diseases known to cause ocular or visual changes. Diabetes , for example, is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in those aged 20–74, with ocular manifestations such as diabetic retinopathy and macular edema affecting up to 80% of those who have had the disease for 15 years or more.